Here’s why you should save your toilet roll tubes for the garden

Written By The Good Housekeeping Web team | 10 June 2016

The tubes create a lightweight place to plant seeds.​

Fun fact: there are a ton of unique ways to repurpose toilet paper tubes. From fun crafts to handy storage systems, this throwaway item is an easy one to find a new use for. But did you know they can be especially helpful in your garden?

When growing particular veggies that don't like their roots to be disturbed, like beans and peas, you've probably been told to keep them in place. But if you need or want to move them, that can be a tough rule to follow.

To prevent this potential problem, you can use a toilet paper roll as a portable planter for the seeds. Once the plant begins to grow and you want to move it to soil or another location, you can replant it with the tube, which will disintegrate in the soil.

It's also a cheap way to grow and store petite plants if you lack a back garden or outdoor space. DIY this planter by cutting into the tube to create tabs, then fold the tabs inward. This creates the bottom of the planter. Next, simply fill it with soil and plant your seeds.